POINT LOBOS TRAIL TO BE WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

Construction on a $500,000 project to build a wheelchair-accessible trail to Bird Island overlook at Point Lobos State Natural Reserve is tentatively scheduled to start this fall — if the state budget is signed by then.

A tentative Nov. 15 starting date for the renovation has been penciled onto the calender, said Jake Bentley, parks maintenance supervisor for the state Parks Department's Monterey district.

The exact amount of money available will depend on Sacramento, where lawmakers and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger have been unable to craft a budget for 2010-11.

"Nothing can happen until the state budget has been signed, and there's no guarantee that Gov. Schwarzenegger will sign it before that date," Bentley said. "The plan is to make the trail wheelchair accessible to the Bird Island overlook. It's something we've been planning for a while now."

The renovation will be an improvement over the existing trail, which has a steep, sand-and-wood staircase and narrows in one spot where the trail side has eroded high above the beach.

The Bird Island Trail is divided into two segments, one of which will be closed while the other is under construction, Bentley said. Construction will be in compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines.

The Bird Island Trail is a round-trip distance of six-tenths of a mile, passing above China Cove and Gibson Beach.

Wildflower displays change seasonally, and hundreds of Brandt's cormorants nest on Bird Island in the spring and summer. Sea otters and harbor seals frequent the area.

"We want to try to have it all finished by the following summer, so we're probably looking at about seven months of construction for the improvements," Bentley said.

Bentley said trail improvements throughout the park are ongoing. A section of steps on the North Shore Trail at Point Lobos was recently re-done, he said.